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Below, all significant clarifications and chang-es in the second printing of the Forbidden Lands core set are listed.

PLAYER’S HANDBOOK

✥ PAGE 44: You are allowed to push rolls even after a successful roll, but only if roll-ing additional x will increase the effect of the roll in some way. The GM has final say on this.

✥ PAGE 46: The GM cannot gain Willpower Points.

✥ PAGE 62: The Inner Peace talent cannot regrow lost limbs.

✥ PAGE 63: Unlike PCs, NPCs don’t spend Willpower Points. Instead, an NPC may activate a kin or profession talent at the most once per round, as if having spent one Willpower Point for non-magical talents. For spells, a magic-using NPC may choose a Power Level up to their rank in the talent. The GM should consider carefully when to use kin and profession talents against PCs, only doing so when dramatically appropriate.

✥ PAGE 63: The kin talent for goblins is

changed to Nocturnal: Goblins prefer the night and hate daylight, which hurts their eyes. They can see in the dark and are thus not affected by darkness at all Also, when rolling for STEALTH in a dark or dimly lit environment, you can spend Willpower Points which are automatically turned into extra x. You may even roll first and spend WP after you see how the roll goes.

✥ PAGE 78: A Melee Charge is a slow action. ✥ PAGE 100: Your chances of MANIPULATING

someone are affected by your Reputation scores. If your Reputation is higher, you get a +1 modification to your roll, and if your Reputation is more than twice that of your opponent’s, you get +2. If your opponent has a higher score, they get the same bonus as above.

✥ PAGE 101, 103, 106: Prices for some weap-ons and armor have been modified, so that they match the gear lists in Chapter 9. See the updated table on the next page.

✥ PAGE 103: The ranges of some ranged weapons have been modified. See the table on the next page.

✥ PAGE 105: Cover is not degraded by damage. ✥ PAGE 108: To help a Broken person back

to their feet is a slow action. It can be done in combat, but not if you have an enemy at ARM’S LENGTH.

2

MELEE WEAPONS

WEAPON GRIP BONUS DAMAGE RANGE COST FEATURES

Two-Handed Axe 2H +2 3 Arm 24 Heavy, Edged, Hook

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✥ PAGE 113: Poison has no effect on mon-sters.

✥ PAGE 120: NPCs don’t have pools of Will-power Points. Instead, when an NPC casts a spell, the GM may simply choose a base Power Level up to the caster’s rank in the magic discipline used, plus one if an ingre-dient is used. Roll normally to determine any overcharging or magic mishap.

✥ PAGE 122: When BIND MAGIC has been cast to permanently bind a spell to an item for repeated use, triggering the spell requires the user to spend Willpower Points equal to the Power Level.

✥ PAGE 124: The MEND WOUNDS spell cannot regrow lost limbs.

✥ PAGE 168: The GARDEN can also produce HERBS as an alternative to VEGETABLES.

✥ PAGE 177: In stronghold battles, the PCs provide the stronghold with one point of Defense Rating, regardless of their number.

✥ PAGE 180: The typical village healer has Empathy 4.

✥ PAGE 184: A cauldron lets a CHEF cook D6+2 units of FOOD in a Quarter Day.

✥ PAGE 184: A field kitchen lets a CHEF cook 2D6 units of FOOD in a Quarter Day.

✥ PAGE 196, 198: A slit throat and impaled neck kill after D6 rounds.

GAMEMASTER’S GUIDE

✥ PAGE 72: Goblins no longer suffer damage from daylight.

✥ PAGE 215: Several edits have been made to the Weatherstone adventure site. The entire updated adventure site follows in this PDF.

RANGED WEAPONS

WEAPON GRIP BONUS DAMAGE RANGE COST FEATURES

Rock 1H – 1 Near – Light

Throwing Knife 1H +1 1 Near 1 Light

Throwing Axe 1H +1 2 Near 2

Throwing Spear 1H +2 1 Short 2

3

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ARMOR & HELMETS

GEAR ARMOR RATING

COST BODY PART FEATURES

Leather 2 4 Body Light

Studded Leather 3 6 Body

Studded Leather Cap

1 3 Head Light

Fog drifts like shredded souls through the windswept mountain pass you traverse. As the fog disperses for a moment, you see the crumbling stronghold Weather-stone rise against the northern side of the mountain pass, surrounded by a moat filled with muddy wa-ter. The landscape is barren, only thorny bushes and sharp grass survive in these lands. It is quiet, apart from singing and strange animal sounds the likes of which you have never heard before. Bones from horses and humans are strewn along the road to the stronghold. A fire burns in the watchtower in front of the castle and the smell of food drifts on the wind.

BACKGROUNDSince Algarod’s army was defeated in the year 874, Zygofer’s daughter, Therania, has brought

WEATHERSTONE

the king and a host of his men back to unlife. After some time, she tired of the regent’s cold embrace and appointed Algarod guardian of the abandoned stronghold Weatherstone, where Zy-gofer had set up a field laboratory for his exper-iments. The remaining war chest of the Alder-landers was hidden in the stronghold’s dungeons close to the laboratory, as a reserve.

Today the castle is no longer used by the demonic sorcerer, and his experiments lie aban-doned in the hold’s subterranean chambers. The undead king and his soldiers are at last free from their eternal guard duty and are allowed to rest in the embrace of death. But the curse is not fully lifted – if the king’s sword Rustbite is taken from him, the dead will rise again to claim it.

The demonic creatures in the laboratory broke free a long time ago. Zygofer, in his new

TYPE OF ADVENTURE SITE: Castle

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bestial form called Zytera (more on that in the Raven’s Purge campaign book), lets them guard Algarod’s war chest since it is of no use right now. The laboratory was primitive to begin with and its creatures disposable from a scientific point of view.

GETTING HEREThere are many different ways in which the adventurers can find Weatherstone. They may have found a map that leads here, heard the legend of the place, or encountered one of the events below.

THE YELLOW-EYED DEER

The adventurers suddenly get a glimpse of a mangificent creature, a deer with grand horns. It runs off with uncanny speed, only to then and again stop and look back at the adventurers, as if waiting for them to catch up. The deer is actually the trickster demon Merigall, trying to lure the adventurers to Weatherstone. The adventurers will lose sight of the creature just before they spot the castle of Weatherstone. The demon has then trans-

formed itself into the form of the old bard Dalb (see location #1).

THE TIRED TREASURE HUNTER

A groan is heard from a camp site nearby. The adventurers find it abandonded except for the tired, and very drunk, man known as Rolk. It was here that the treasure hunters under Esgar Farthing’s command (see below) made camp before they moved on to Weatherstone. The party consumed plenty of wine, and no one more so than Rolk, and his companions forgot him when they broke camp at dawn. Rolk is not too worried though, and has happily continued to empty his wine jug and tells any passersby that his companions are headed for an old cas-tle nearby to find “an ol’ treasure.”

LEGENDTen generations before our time, the cruel king Algarod declared that Alderland had become overcrowded. He sought to expand his kingdom by leading an army across the mountains to Raven-land, where he fell in battle against the demonic hordes of the sorcerer Zygofer. As he was lost, so too was the sceptre Nekhaka, rumored to be the source of his power. However, the will of the king burned so fiercely that he refused to die and for ages stood watch in the stronghold of Weath-erstone. Legend has it that Algarod will march again one day, to retrieve the spire of Nekhaka and complete his conquest of Ravenland. But the curse was suddenly broken and the undead king and his men finally went to their final rest. There

RECOMMENDED READING

You can read more about Algar-

od and Therania on page 27–30.

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are whispers that Algarod’s war chest remains in Weatherstone, forever guarded by evil spirits and the beasts of the sorcerer.

LOCATIONSMajor locations at the castle are described be-low. Each location is one zone for the purposes of combat, unless specified otherwise.

1. WATCHTOWERThe ragged watchtower stands like a newborn next to the stronghold ruin on the cliff behind it. Vines cling to its withered walls. Trails of smoke rise from the caved-in roof. Someone has a fire going.

The watchtower’s withered and cracked stones are overgrown with rust-colored, demonic vines, escaped from Zytera’s laboratory. The vines have finger-like outgrowths. These are harmless, but emit horrible screams if branch-es are broken off or cut. This noise is audible across the entire valley and puts everyone on edge. Any parts of the plants that are removed decay to mush within a minute or so.

The old bard, Dalb, has struck camp in the tower and is in the midst of cooking a rab-bit over the fire. He invites the adventurers to eat with him around the fire. After the meal, he lights his pipe and tells them the legend of Weatherstone (see above). Then he continues:

“You are not the first to ask about Weatherstone this evening. The treasure hunter Esgar Farthing and his followers shared these very quarters just

WHO IS DALB?

The Bard who calls himself Dalb

is in reality the demon Merigall.

He is allied with the sorcerer

Zytera and looks upon the For-

bidden Lands as his playground,

where he performs more or

less cruel pranks on the simple

inhabitants. The tale that Dalb/

Merigall tells the adventurers is

only partially true.

Esgar Farthing and his men

are indeed entering the strong-

hold. There is a demon beast

in the laboratory. King Algar-

od’s sword Rustbite is indeed

magical. But the sword is also

the very item that is the key to

the dormant curse over Algarod

and his undead men. Whoever

touches the sword activates

the curse once again, and

wakes the king and his soldiers

from their rest.

Dalb/Merigall has no

further role in this adventure.

He will leave the tower before

the adventurers exit Weath-

erstone. But this won’t be

the last time that he crosses

path with the adventurers.

More about that in the Raven’s

Purge campaign book.

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2

8

9

10

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1

3 4

5

67

WEATHERSTONE

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recently. They seek the weapon of king Algarod, the mighty sword Rustbite. Esgar is an impatient man and they left for the stronghold immediately. But there is something I never told them, some-thing that you might find of interest…”

Dalb inhales deeply from the pipe and looks at the adventurers over the crackling fire.

“The undead lie in eternal rest, but Weatherstone is still a dangerous place. Rumors say that an unho-ly beast lurks in there, a creature so vile that it can rip the limbs off an ogre. But there is a way to slay it: with the sword of king Algarod. Find the sword and you can kill the beast. Kill the beast and trea-sure awaits. That’s what I’ve heard. Simple, no?”

2. THE MAIN GATEThe drawbridge to the main gate has rotted through and fallen into the moat. The water is cloudy and foul-smelling. From time to time, you see ripples in the algae on the surface. There is a patch of some dark substance on the shore.

A muddy moat runs around Weatherstone into which a foul creature from the laboratory has escaped. The drawbridge has collapsed, so the adventurers need to find acces through other means. Nearby, there are a few rotting logs that can be used to CRAFT a makeshift bridge or raft to cross the moat). Another option is to simply wade or swim. In any case, the adventurers will encounter problems in the form of the hungry beast in the water (see The Moat under Events below). The dark patch on the shore is blood from the creature – one of Esgar’s companions was attacked by the monster, which was injured

by the other treasure hunters’ attempts to free their comrade. Who was grabbed, and if they survived or not, is up to you as GM.

3. THE HOUSE OF KNIGHTSYou reach a gloomy hall, once a place for sumptu-ous feasts. Now it is only home to death and decay. The remains of rotting flesh and moldy tapestries spread an odor thick enough to make any living visitor gag. In old wooden chairs and on the cold stone floor are the remains of what once must have been the king’s Alderlander soldiers. It is as if they had fallen during a final supper.

A large, somewhat intact house close to the gate contains the main feast hall surrounded by an audience hall, guest quarters, kitch-en and servant’s quarters. Each room is one zone for the purposes of combat. The soldiers’ corpses still have mummified flesh on them.

WHEN THE UNDEAD HAVE RISEN

Where once silence reigned, now

a macabre feast is taking place. A

dozen soldiers sit at the tables and a

dozen more move around in the hall.

The food on the tables are rocks and

the liquid in whatever jugs remain

whole has been scooped up directly

from the moat. The guests move

slowly, only emitting a rustling like

thousands of rats running across

dry leaves. Then, they spot you.

Their rotting throats emitting a dry

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gurgling sound, they draw their rusty

blades and attack.

✥ CREATURES: None, unless the undead are awake (see #9). If so, two dozen skeletons.

✥ TREASURE: In the mess, there are D6 sil-ver jugs worth D6 silver coins each. If the undead are awake, the jugs have owners that are unwilling to part with them.

4. THE RAVINEIt’s as if the axe of a giant has cleft both the strong-hold and the rock below in two, and left a deep, stinking wound. A single chain spans the darkness of the ravine, and it is obvious there used to be a bridge here. The opposite wall has a yawning por-tal into the eastern half of the stronghold.

A deep ravine splits Weatherstone into western and eastern parts. Two drawbridges could be found here (at locations #4 and #7 on the map). The lower bridge has rotted through, fallen away, and left a gap of about five meters. A single rusty chain remains (climbing across requires a MOVE roll). As the ravine was used as a dump site for the laboratory, it contains semi-living organ-ic debris that may very well be aggressive.

At the bottom of the ravine, the rotting shells of two old wagons can be seen. There are chests emblazoned with an old symbol on the chests – a LORE roll will reveal it to be the her-aldry of Alderland. These chests are the remains of king Algarod’s warchest. They are locked, but empty aside from a few coins and the excrement of harpies. The harpies in the Theater Tower

(#6) have stolen most of the treasure and hid it in a crevice close to their nest a long time ago.

✥ TREASURE: D6 copper coins, D6 silver coins, and one VALUABLE find in the chests at the bottom of the ravine.

5. THE LABORATORYA stench of rot and sharp elixirs exudes from this this hall. The chamber was grand once – the re-mains of silk and old portraits that haven’t been torn down still hang on the walls. Now the room is filled with cauldrons, pools, broken pottery, dissection tables and other items and things. Ev-erything is covered with dust, but to your horror, you realize the body parts of animals and humans that have been nailed to the walls seem to have been alive up until recently. Something is moving in the debris.

The lord of the stronghold lived in the build-ing beyond the ravine, along with his family and his closest knights. Zygofer used the build-ings as a laboratory until the stronghold was abandoned.

✥ CREATURES: An incomplete hybrid of human and scorpion is crawling around, looking for its missing body parts. It is very aggressive and wants to take parts from any intruders. See page 227.

✥ If you like, one of Esgar’s companions is lying in a corner, critically injured by the scorpion beast and left to die by Esgar. If the adventurers help the dying treasure hunter, they may have won an ally.

✥ TREASURE: D6 urns containing weird experiments (body parts, eyes, a brain,

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a strange insect). Worth D6 silver coins apiece to the right death magician.

6. THE THEATER TOWER AND THE HARPIES’ NEST

The roof has collapsed in on a theater whose gal-leries climbed the inner walls of the tower. A handful of large, flying creatures screech close to the ceiling as soon as you step inside. The silhou-ettes of their winged bodies can be seen against the open sky above. The central stage of the tower is smeared with excrement and covered with the rancid remains of the creatures’ feasts.

The Theater Tower, where plays and fencing shows were put on for the amusement of the guests, has been taken over by a flock of har-pies grown in the laboratory. The creatures are short-tempered and will attack or play horrid games with the guests if they appear to be too strong to fight. A terrace on the outside of the tower with a balustrade and a gorgeous view can be reached from the top tiers of the galleries.

The harpies have hidden most of what re-mains of Algarod’s war chest in a crevice on the eastern side of the mountain below the terrace. The coins are loose or kept in ragged linen bags from the chests. The treasure can be reached by climbing down on a rope from the terrace (MOVE roll).

A small number of coins are loaded in the still functioning catapult on the terrace, which is primed and aimed over the edge of the cliff to the east. The catapult seems to be loaded with coins, but underneath the top layer is crushed pyrite – pebbles that appear to be metallic from a distance. If some intrepid treasure hunter

approaches, the harpies will fire the catapult, scattering the coins across the landscape unless they get what they want (see Events). There are three skeletons in the harpies’ nest from infants they have stolen from a village, along with a few improvised toys and the remains of rats they attempted to feed the children with.

✥ TREASURE: In the catapult there are 2D6 copper coins and D6 silver coins. At the bottom of the crevasse the actual remains of the Alderlander war chest can ne found: 5D6 copper coins, 4D6 silver coins and 2D6 gold coins.

7. DRAWBRIDGEA drawbridge has been raised on the other side of the ravine. It is in better condition than the rest of the stronghold.

The upper drawbridge to the king’s tower re-mains, but it is raised on the far side. There are a number of ways for the adventurers to cross:

✥ They can attach a rope to an arrow and shoot it at the drawbridge, and then pull it down. Shooting an arrow with enough force to embed it deep into the wood requires a successful MARKSMANSHIP roll.

✥ They can jump. This requires a MOVE roll with a –2 modification. If it fails, allow the falling adventurer another MOVE roll to grab on to something on the way down, thus avoiding a fall all the way to the bottom of the ravine. The fall is 25 meters. See page 112 in the Player’s Handbook for rules on damage from falling.

✥ They can use magic.

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✥ If you decide that Esgar Farthing (with or without companions at this point) has already made it across, he may have left the drawbridge down.

8. GUARD POST AND SERVANTS’ QUARTERS

A room flanked by rows of spears and rusty swords along one wall and a number of viewing slits on the other. The moulded corpses of a dozen soldiers rest on the cold floor.

The guard post consists of barracks and an ar-mory. The rest of this building is made up of servants’ quarters and a kitchen. Each room is one zone in combat.

✥ TREASURE: None, but a few rusty swords and spears.

✥ CREATURES: None, unless the undead are awake (see #9). If so, a dozen skeletons.

WHEN THE UNDEAD HAVE RISEN

The cacophony of a score of undead

marching back and forth in the barren,

curved room resounds off its walls.

They turn after loudly slamming

into the far wall. The sun is shining

in through the many arrow slits,

spearing through the dust torn up by

the soldiers. Archers watch the lower

parts of the stronghold from the slits.

When undead see you, they turn their

skeletal visages heads against you,

eager to kill.

9. ALGAROD’S TOWERThe chamber at the top of the tower is quiet and smells of mold and perfume. A large four-poster bed stands against the far wall, flanked by suits of armor. On the bed rests the remains of a man in full plate armor with a helmet and a crown. King Algarod of Alderland in his eternal rest. On his chest, the king’s gloved hands clutch a large, beau-tifully crafted sword. A huge painting of a young woman, with a stern face and dressed in a regal gown, hangs on the wall next to the bed. You get the eerie feeling that the woman is watching you.

The tower is furnished for the former lord of the stronghold, and holds a large combined bed chamber and observatory at the top of the tow-er. Here rests King Algarod. His three body-guards can be found in an adjoining chamber.

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The portrait of the woman has the words “Queen Therania” inscribed on the frame. If a player makes a LORE roll, reveal the story of Therania, daughter of the vile demon-king Zy-gofer, and how it is said that she killed King Algarod and took him as his undead lover. If you are playing Raven’s Purge, you might even let the player who makes the LORE roll recall the legend of Zytera at this time.

The painting was enchanted by Therania and contains a sliver of her soul, still controlling the undead king. If the adventurers approach, the portrait suddenly comes to life and screams at the top of her lungs (a fear attack with eight Base Dice against everyone in the room).

If an adventurer touches Algarod’s sword, the king, his guards, and every undead sol-dier and servant in the castle will awake from their sleep (see Events). The adventurer will be able to grab the sword if she is quick, but will not escape the wrath of the undead king and his men. Destroying the painting of Ther-ania’s will break her hold over Algarod (below), but it will not stop the other undead.

WHEN THE UNDEAD ARISE

At the moment you touch the cold steel

of the old sword, you hear a crackling

noise. First, a gloved finger moves, then

another. Horrified, you see before you

the corpse of King Algarod being filled

with unholy life. At the same time, you

hear a scraping sound at the door.

Controlled by Therania, King Algarod will immediately attack anyone laying hands on his sword (treat this as a monster attack, page 73). The following round he will be joined by three undead bodyguards that will also attack. Even if the adventurers survive this, they are sur-rounded by dozens of undead in the castle and will desperately need to find a way to escape if they want to live.

✥ CREATURES: King Algarod and three undead guards.

✥ TREASURE: Algarod’s sword Rustbite. A masterfully crafted longsword enchanted by a court magician in Alderland four hundred years ago.

RUSTBITE, MAGICAL LONGSWORD

Heavy, Weapon Bonus +2, Weapon

Damage 2, Artifact Die D8 (D10 against

demons and demon-tainted creatures),

ignores three points of metal armor.

Each time the user causes an enemy to

be Broken with the sword, she suffers 1

point of damage to Empathy.

The crown is a simple one made of silver and worth 3D6 silver coins. If you want to intro-duce Stanengist here (see Raven’s Purge), it can be the king’s crown instead. You can also let Algarod have the Nekhaka spire here.

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10. CRANEThe drop from the rock down to the moat is diz-zyingly high. A thick copper chain, green with verdigris, swings back and forth, chiming in the wind, where it hangs from its weather-beaten windlass.

Since the tower is so tall, there is a crane by which items can be hoisted up from the out-side. The crane could be a last escape route (requiring MOVE rolls) if the alarm has been sounded and the place is crawling with aggres-sive undead. The chain and the windlass are worn and old, and might have to be smeared with lamp oil (CRAFTING roll) before they can be used.

MONSTERS AND NPCS

The monsters and NPCs that the adventurers can meet at Weatherstone are described below.

DALB, THE BARD

A man in his fifties with greying, unkempt hair, wearing a green tunic, gray hose and knitted finger gloves to protect against the cold. Constantly with a pipe in the corner of his mouth, Dalb is a person who can enchant any audience with so simple a means as his green eyes and husky voice. The bard (who is not what he seems to be, see the boxed text “Who is Dalb?”) has struck camp outside Weatherstone to lure adventurers to their doom within. This

night, he is very lucky as no less than two groups arrive shortly after one another.

STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 4, WITS 6, EMPATHY 6

SKILLS: Performance 5

GEAR: Pipe, lute

THE TREASURE HUNTERS

A motley crew of treasure hunters, led by Es-gar Farthing, arrives shortly before the adven-turers. They are looking for the war chest and King Algarod’s sword. It will soon be evident that the treasure hunters have different agen-das. This group, or just some of its members, can be used as antagonists or potential allies in Weatherstone.

ESGAR FARTHING

A muscular and loud man who presents himself as a travelling merchant specializing in “rare goods.” Esgar is re-ally a simple mercenary who has heard about the treasure in Weatherstone and intends to find it, at any price. He lacks empathy and is planning to dou-ble-cross his companions at the first and best opportunity.

STRENGTH 5, AGILITY 3, WITS 2, EMPATHY 2

SKILLS: Melee 3, Might 3, Manipulation 2, Move 1

TALENTS: Path of the Blade 1, Threatening 1

GEAR: Longsword, large shield, chainmail, D6 silver

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KORDOMAR SULAM

Kordomar is a hunter from Harga who as a child was told many stories of Alderland, the lands south of the Iron Lock. Despite his grey-

ing hair and furrowed face, he is still skilled with bow and arrow. Kor-domar came with Esgar to retrieve the sword of King Algarod, who he considers a hero. Kordomar wants

to trade the sword for access to Alderland, where he has always dreamed of going. He

does not trust Esgar.

STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 3, WITS 3, EMPATHY 2

SKILLS: Marksmanship 4, Scouting 2, Survival 2

TALENTS: The Path of the Arrow 1, Sharpshooter 1

GEAR: Longbow, dagger, leather armor, D6 copper

BROTHER FEREBALD

A gnarly and brooding Rust Brother and his-torian who can tell many tales of Alderland and the history of the Rust Brothers. Ferebald knows about Algarod’s wretched past, and be-lieves the king’s undead existence is a disgrace. Ferebald has secretly joined Esgar and his com-patriots to try to kill Algarod as an act of mercy.

STRENGTH 2, AGILITY 2, WITS 4, EMPATHY 2

SKILLS: Lore 3, Insight 2, Melee 1

TALENTS: Path of Blood 1, Herbalist 1

GEAR: Knife, parchment and pen, D8 copper

DYNDRIA THE BARD

Dyndria plays the fiddle and seems to be a jovial woman with a taste for food and drink. She claims to be here because she has been paid to play.

In fact, Dyndria is a thief and assassin hired by the rulers of Alder-land, south of the Iron Lock. The new royal fam-ily wants to remove any traces of Algarod’s line since political rebels have re-vealed that the old king still roams Ravenland

If Dyndria manages to take Algarod’s head to the Iron Lock, she will be richly rewarded and awarded citizenship in Alderland – or so she believes. Dyndria dreams of present day Al-derland, but knows nothing about it. She has hinted to Esgar that she is a thief and would like to be part of any secret raid against the stronghold, but she has not divulged her true intentions.

STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 4, WITS 2, EMPATHY 3

SKILLS: Stealth 3, Marksmanship 2, Move 2, Melee 1, Manipulation 2, Performance 2

TALENTS: Path of Poison 1, Lightning Fast 1

GEAR: Sling, dagger, leather armor, fiddle, D6 copper

KING ALGAROD

The once mighty King Algarod wears chain-mail and carries the sword Rustbite (until the adventurers steal it). He is tall and regal, with scars from crudely sewn wounds across his face.

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His is a melancholy existence, dictated by Ther-ania’s commands. If her portrait above the bed in the top room of the tower is destroyed, Ther-ania loses her power over him. He will fly into a rage and may attempt to take back his royal power, negotiate with his liberators, or even de-stroy himself forever – for example, by leaping from the ramparts or asking the adventurers to find an urn with his embalmed heart which is hidden in the laboratory. In the latter case, they will be rewarded with his war chest which he be-lieves is still in the wagons in the ravine.

STRENGTH 8, AGILITY 3, WITS 3, EMPATHY 2

King Algarod is a Death Knight, a powerful undead being. Death Knights are de-scribed in detail on page 86.

GEAR: Chainmail, great helm, the Rust-bite longsword. If you want to introduce the Nekhaka spire or even the Stanengist crown itself (see Raven’s Purge), you can let Algarod have them in his chamber.

TWO ATTACKS: King Algarod is a powerful Death Knight and as such gets to act twice every round. Draw two initiative cards at the beginning of combat.

UNDEAD SOLDIERS

Around the keep are dozens of undead Alderland-er soldiers, dead for centuries. When a living be-ing touches Rustbite, they arise from their sleep.

SKELETON SOLDIERS

STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 2

SKILLS: Melee 3

GEAR: Broadsword, studded leather

BONY: Skeletons never take more than 1 point of Damage from STABS and arrows.

SKELETON BODYGUARDS

STRENGTH 6, AGILITY 2

SKILLS: Melee 3, Might 2

GEAR: Chainmail, large shield, longsword

BONY: Skeletons never take more than 1 point of Damage from STABS and arrows.

THE SCORPION BEAST

A foul demon creature spawned in the labora-tory of Weatherstone. Half-scorpion, half-hu-man, this is a creature that was never meant to live. The beast is totally driven by instinct and see all living creatures as potential food. The Scorpion Beast is a monster (see page 73).

STRENGTH 14, AGILITY 8

ARMOR: 5 (carapace)

TWO ATTACKS: The scorpion beast can act twice every round. Draw two initiative cards at the beginning of combat.

D6 MONSTER ATTACKS

1. WHIPPING TAIL! A lightning quick attack with the beast’s tail hits one adven-turer. Perform an attack with ten Base Dice and Weapon Damage 2 (slash wound). If it hits, the victim is thrown to the ground.

2. CLAW TOSS! With a roar, the beast grabs an adventurer with its giant claw. Roll for the attack with eight Base Dice and Weapon Damage 2 (slash wound). If it hits, the beast locks its claw around the victim and shakes the adventurer violently. The adventurer must make an opposed Strength roll against the beast (not an action). If the roll fails, the ad-venturer is thrown to NEAR distance and lands prone.

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3. CHILLING ROAR! The Scorpion Beast lets out an otherworldly scream that makes the adventurers blood freeze. Everyone within NEAR range is exposed to a fear attack rolled with six Base Dice.

4. DEATHLY EMBRACE! With a power-ful leap, the beast jumps upon an adventurer and embraces her with its demonic claws. Roll for the attack with eight Base Dice and Weapon Damage 1 (blunt force). If the attack hits, the victim is GRAPPLED.

5. POISON FANG! The Scorpion Beast’s tail rattles like a cobra before it thrusts against an adventurer, stinging her with its poison. Roll for the attack using seven Base Dice and Weapon Damage 1 (stab wound). This attack is too fast to DODGE. If the victim is hit and suffers 1 point of Damage or more, they are injected with a paralyzing poison with Potency of 9.

6. WHIRLWIND ATTACK! The beast lets its tail sweep against all adventurers within ARM’S LENGTH. Roll to hit on each with eight Base Dice and Weap-on Damage 2 (slash wound). All adven-turers who are hit are also struck to the ground.

HARPIES

A pack of harpies led by the oldest creature, Little Mother, has taken over the Theater Tower and hidden the Alderlander war chests. The harpies attack as a flock (page 105) and flee when the flock’s Strength is reduced to half its starting value (6 in this case).

STRENGTH 12, WITS 4, EMPATHY 3

EVENTSMany dangerous and exciting events can occur at Weatherstone. Here are some suggestions:

DALB’S TALE

When the adventurers encounter the bard Dalb in the ruined tower, he invites them to dinner around the fire and tells them the legend of the cursed King Algarod and Weatherstone. For ease of use, this text is placed under the location of the tower ruin above.

THE MOAT

In the muddy and filthy moat around the keep a demonic creature from one of Zytera’s hor-rible experiments has found a new home. The tentacled demonic octopus lives off rats and wild animals. If the adventurers try to cross the moat, the creature attempts to perform a sneak attack against one of them with a tentacle. The tentacle has Strength 4, Agility 4, SNEAK 3 and MELEE 3. An adventurer who is hit is automati-cally GRAPPLED and pulled underwater. For the effects of drowning, see page 113 in the Player’s Handbook. If Broken, the victim dies in D6 minutes unless saved. The other adventurers can attack the tentacle from the bridge.

THE TREASURE HUNTERS

The treasure hunters led by Esgar Farthing enter Weatherstone at the same time as, or just before, the adventurers. The four com-panions go from room to room with lit torches and drawn weapons, looking for the

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resting place of King Algarod and his sword. How you use the treasure hunters is up to you. They can surprise the adventurers as a group or show up one at a time. If the adven-turers don’t find Algarod’s tower, the trea-sure hunters will and quickly proceed to steal the sword (thus waking the undead). The treasure hunters are not loyal to each other and can easily turn on one another.

ATTACK OF THE HARPIES

The harpies nest is in the Theater Tower (see Lo-cations) but they can strike anywhere and at any time – especially if the adventurers wear shiny looking objects. Consider using the harpies for a quick demoralizing attack, where they succeed

in snatching a piece of equipment from an adventurer before retreat-

ing. To get it back, the adventur-ers need to find their nest.

THE HARPIES NEGOTIATE

The harpies in the Theater Tower try to bar-gain with the adventurers, after the latter discover that the war chest isn’t hidden in the ravine. The harpies can give them money, but in return they want Algarod’s sword or a living infant to raise as their own. After all, they were once mothers, and only want love. They can also accept a particularly delicious piece of an adventurer. If threatened, the harpies will in turn threaten to let the catapult in the Theater Tower spread the treasure among the debris be-low the tower, so that no one will ever find it.

THE DEAD RISE!

As soon as an adventurer (or one of the NPC treasure hunters) touches Rustbite, the king’s sword, the old curse is activated once again, and the undead king and his soldiers wake to life in an instant. As if one, the dozens of corpses of Weatherstone arise and continue their duty as if nothing ever happened. Most are peaceful if not disturbed, but they will consider all intruders hostile and attack if they spot them. The keep of Weatherstone

now becomes a death trap! It’s up to you as a GM to decide if you want to wait until the ad-venturers reach the King’s tower first or let the treasure hunters beat them to it.

THE BARD’S SONG

This event is best used late in the adventure to ramp up pressure on the adventurers.

Regardless of whether the undead have woken up or not, the adventurers will

suddenly hear a strange sound from out-

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side the keep. If they find a window and look out, they will see the bard Dalb standing on the other side of the moat, singing a song in an ar-chaic language while raising his arms to the sky. Once he stops singing everything is silent for a moment. Then an unearthly scream is heard from everywhere inside Weatherstone. If the undead have not awakened, they do so now. If they already have, they start roaming the keep in packs looking for intruders to slay.

What has really happened is that Dalb/Merigall has decided to make things a little more interesting with a spell. He sees this as an amusing experiment more than anything else.

FIRE!

One of the undead soldiers somehow touches one of the adventurer’s (or treasure hunter’s)

torches, which instantly ignites. Soon the fire spreads to an old tapestry, and from there it spreads quickly throughout the keep. Many undead will perish in the fire, but will not care until they fall to the ground in ashes and will continue to hunt for intruders as long as they can. The fire can be used as a threat to the adventurers, or give them an opportunity to escape.

KING ALGAROD’S MARCH

If Algarod is not destroyed once and for all, he will sooner or later leave Weatherstone for a final crusade. If the adventurers stole his sword, Rust-bite, the king will come looking for it with his entourage of undead soldiers. King Algarod can be an interesting antagonist, or perhaps even an unexpected ally, later in the game.

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